Child seat assembled with vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle, having a seat cushion pivotally mounted at its rear end on the bottom of a recessed portion in a back rest of a vehicle seat to be stored in an upright condition in the recessed portion during non-use of the child seat and pulled out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition, wherein the child seat is provided with support means for supporting the seat cushion in the horizontal condition when pulled out from the recessed portion of the vehicle seat.

BACKGOUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a child seat assembled with a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a child seat provided with a seat cushion stored within a recessed portion of the vehicle seat and pulled out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition.

[0003] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art

[0004] In general, a child seat of this kind for use in an automotive vehicle is provided with a seat cushion the rear end of which is pivotally mounted on the bottom of a recessed portion in a vehicle seat. In the child seat, the backside wall of the recessed portion is used as a back rest of the child seat, and for example, a five-point type seat belt is provided between the seat cushion of the child seat and the backside wall of the recessed portion in the vehicle seat. The seat cushion is stored in an upright condition in the recessed portion during non-use of the child seat and is pulled out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition placed on a seat cushion of the vehicle seat.

[0005] As in use of the child seat, the seat cushion is placed on the seat cushion of the vehicle seat, the seat cushion is influenced by the cushion property of the vehicle seat. Accordingly, the seat cushion of the child seat is deformed and inclined in accordance with the weight of a child seated thereon, causing the seated posture of the child unstable. This is a first problem to be solve in this kind of child seats.

[0006] In use of the child seat, the buttocks of the child restrained by the seatbelt is submerged in the occurrence of a head-on collision. In the occurrence of such a submarine phenomenon, the seat belt placed to restrain the waist of the child is displaced to the belly of the child. This is a second problem to be solved in this kind of child seats.

[0007] In use of the child seat, the seat belt is fastened in a condition where the child has been seated on the seat cushion and supported by the backside wall of the recessed portion in the seat back of the vehicle seat. When a little child of small body is entered in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat and seated on the seat cushion of the child seat without any difficult, the seat belt can be securely fastened to restrain the child body. However, when the child seat is used by a child of large body, it is difficult for the child to enter his back into the recessed portion of the vehicle seat for seating on the seat cushion of the child seat. In such an instance, the seat belt may not be securely fastened to restrain the child body. This is a third problem to be solved in this kind of child seats.

[0008] In Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication, there has been proposed a child seat capable of solving the third problem. The child seat is provided with a back rest which is pivotally mounted on a rear end of the seat cushion at its lower end to be tilted in a fore-and-aft direction and stored in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat. When stored in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat, the back rest of the child seat is locked in an upright condition by means of a lock mechanism.

[0009] For primary use of the child seat, the seat cushion is pulled out from the recessed portion of the vehicle seat and placed on the seat cushion of the vehicle seat in a condition where the back rest of the child seat is retained in the upright condition in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat. For secondary use of the child seat, the seat cushion is pulled out from the recessed portion of the vehicle seat and placed on the seat cushion of the vehicle seat, and the back rest of the child seat is pulled out from the recessed portion and placed on the seat cushion of the child seat. As in the primary use, the seat cushion of the child seat is placed in a lower position in a condition where the back rest of the child seat is placed in a shallow position in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat, the child seat can be used by a child of large body without any difficulty. As in the secondary use, the seat cushion of tHe child seat is placed in a higher position in a condition where the back rest of the child seat is placed in a deep position in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat, the child seat can be used by a little child of small body in a stable condition. However, the first and second problems discussed above may not be solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a child seat capable of solving the first and second problems discussed above, and a secondary object of the present invention is to provide a child seat capable of solving the third problem in the conventional child seat discussed above.

[0011] According to the present invention, the primary object is accomplished by providing a child seat for use in an automotive vehicle, having a seat cushion pivotally mounted at its rear end on the bottom of a recessed portion in a back rest of a vehicle seat to be stored in an upright condition in the recessed portion during non-use of the child seat and pulled out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition, wherein the child seat is provided with support means for supporting the seat cushion in the horizontal condition when pulled out from the recessed portion of the vehicle seat.

[0012] As in the child seat, the support means is provided to support the seat cushion pulled out from the recessed portion in the back rest of the vehicle seat in the horizontal condition, the seat cushion of the child seat is supported in place without any contact with the seat cushion of the vehicle seat. Even if the seat cushion of the child seat was received by the seat cushion of the vehicle seat, the seat cushion of the child seat would be avoided from an influence caused by the cushion property of the vehicle seat. This is useful to eliminate vertical displacement of the seat cushion of the child seat caused by the cushion property of the vehicle seat and to avoid deformation and inclination of the seat cushion of the child seat caused by a difference in weight of children seated thereon. This is useful to retain a posture of the children seated on the seat cushion of the child seat in a stable condition. Even in the occurrence of a head-on collision, the seat cushion does not occur any submarine phenomenon of the child's buttocks so that the seat belt acts to securely restrain the waist portion of the child without displacement toward the belly of the child.

[0013] According to the present invention, the secondary object is accomplished by providing a child seat for use in an automotive vehicle, having a seat cushion pivotally mounted at its rear end on the bottom of a recessed portion in a back rest of a vehicle seat to be stored in an upright condition in the recessed portion during non-use of the child seat and taken out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition, wherein the child seat is provided with a back rest movable in a fore-and-aft direction in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat to be retained in a retracted position and retained in a forward position where a front surface of the back rest is placed to coincide with a front surface of the back rest of the vehicle seat, and wherein the seat cushion of the child seat is pivotally mounted to a lower end portion of the back rest at its rear end to be rotated in a fore-and-aft direction.

[0014] As in the child seat, the back rest is retained in the retracted position and retained in the forward position where the front surface of the back rest is placed to coincide with the front surface of the back rest of the vehicle seat, the depth of the recessed portion in the back rest of the vehicle seat can be adjusted in accordance with the body size of the child seated on the seat cushion of the child seat Thus, in use of the child seat, a child of small body can be entered into the recessed portion of the vehicle seat without any difficulty and seated on the seat cushion of the child seat so that the child is securely fastened by the seat belt by adjustment of the depth of the recessed portion. In use of the child seat for a child of large body, the child can be seated on the seat cushion of the child seat without any difficulty by adjustment of the depth of the recessed portion so that the child is securely fastened by the seat belt.

[0015] In a practical embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the back rest of the child seat is connected to a backside wall of the recessed portion of the vehicle seat by means of a pair of connecting mechanisms. In such a case, the connecting mechanisms each are composed of a first bracket provided on the back rest, a second bracket provided on the backside wall of the recessed portion, a linkage pivoted at its opposite ends to the first and second brackets to be rotated with a fulcrum in connection to the second bracket to move the back rest in a fore-and-aft direction through the first bracket, a stopper provided on the first bracket to restrict rotary movement of the linkage by engagement with the linkage when the back rest is placed in a forward position, and a spring engaged at its opposite ends with the linkage and the backside wall of the recessed portion to bias the first bracket upward through the linkage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In the drawings:

[0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a child seat according to the present invention in a condition stored in a vehicle seat;

[0018]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the child seat in a condition for use of a little child of small body;

[0019]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the child seat in a condition where only a back rest of the child seat has been placed for use of a child of large body;

[0020]FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a stored condition of the child seat;

[0021]FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the child seat in a condition for use of a little child of small body;

[0022]FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the child seat in a condition for use of a child of large body:

[0023]FIG. 7(a) is a sectional side view of a connecting mechanism in the child seat in a condition for use of a little child of small body;

[0024]FIG. 7(b) is a sectional side view of the connecting mechanism in a condition where the child seat is used for a child of large body;

[0025]FIG. 7(c) is a sectional side view of the connecting mechanism in a condition where the child seat is used for the child of large body;

[0026]FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of another embodiment of a child seat according to the present invention in a condition for use of a little child of small body: and

[0027]FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view of a further embodiment of a child seat according to the present invention in a condition for use of a little child of small body.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0028] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Illustated in FIGS. 1 to 6 is an embodiment of a child seat in accordance with the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 4, there is illustrated the child seat in a non-use condition where it is stored in a recessed portion a in a back rest A of a vehicle seat. In FIGS. 2 and 5, there is illustrated the child seat in a condition for use of a little child of small body. In FIG. 6, there is illustrated the child seat in a condition for use of a child of large body. During non-use of the child seat 10, the back rest A is stored in the recessed portion a in the back rest of the vehicle seat and is pulled out from the recessed portion a for use in necessity. The child seat is provided with a seat cushion 11, a back rest 12, a pair of left and right support belts 13 and a set of seat belts 14.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the back rest 12 of the child seat 10 is stored in an upright position in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat and is connected to a backside upright wall plate 15 of the recessed portion a at four positions of its upper and opposite sides by means of a pair of connecting mechanisms 20. The seat cushion 11 of the child seat is pivotally mounted to the back rest 12 at its rear end portion to be tilted in a fore-and-aft direction and is connected to the back rest 12 by means of a pair of support belts 13. The back rest 12 is provided with a grip 16 fixed to a central portion of its front surface and is connected to an upper end of the backside uptight wall plate 15 at its upper end by means of a flexible cover 12 a. The flexible cover 12 a can be folded at its central portion and extended from its folded condition.

[0030]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat A in a condition where the back rest 12 of child seat 10 has been placed for use of a child of large body, FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the child seat 10 stored in the recessed portion of vehicle seat A as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of the child seat 10 in a condition shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of the child seat 10 in a condition where that back rest 12 is placed for use of a child of large body.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7(a), the connecting mechanisms 20 each includes a first bracket 21 secured to the rear surface of back rest 12, a second bracket 22 mounted to the backside upright wall plate 15, a linkage 23 pivoted to the brackets 21 and 22 at its opposite end portions, and a tension spring 24 engaged at its opposite ends with a front end of linkage 23 and a bracket fixed to the backside upright wall plate 15. The first bracket 21 is formed at its rear end with a stopper lug 2la projected toward a side face of second bracket 22. The first bracket 21 is extended rearward from the rear surface of back rest 12 through a vertical slit hole 15 a formed in the backside upright wall plate 15. The second bracket 22 is extended forward from the front surface of backside upright wall plate 15 through a vertical slit hole 12 b formed in the back rest 12. The linkage 23 is pivoted to a rear end portion of first bracket 21 at its rear end and to a front end portion of second bracket 22 at a position slightly displaced reward from its front end. The tension spring 24 is engaged with a front end of linkage 23 at its upper end and engaged with the backside upright wall plate 15 at a position located lower than the second bracket 22.

[0032] When the back rest 12 is pulled in a upward slantwise direction in a condition where the connecting mechanisms 20 each are placed as shown in FIG. 7(a), the linkage 23 is lifted by the first bracket 21 and rotated in a counterclockwise direction with a fulcrum in connection to the second bracket 22 to move the back rest 12 forward in a predetermined distance as shown in FIGS. 7(b) to 7(c). In such an instance, the stopper lug 21 a of first bracket 21 is brought into engagement with the upper end surface of linkage 23 as shown in FIG. 7(c) to restrict the rotary movement of linkage 23 in the counterclockwise direction.

[0033] When the backrest 12 is pulled upward in a condition shown in FIG. 7(c), the linkage 23 is lifted by the first bracket 21 and rotated in a clockwise direction with the fulcrum in connection to the second bracket 22 to move the back rest 12 rearward in the predetermined distance as shown in FIGS. 7(b) to 7(a). When the connecting mechanisms 20 are placed in a condition shown in FIG. 7(a), the back rest 12 is placed for use of a little child of small body as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, When the connecting mechanisms 20 are placed in a condition shown in FIG. 7(c), the back rest 12 is placed for use of a child of large body as shown in FIG. 6.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the child seat 10 is stored in the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat A in its non-use. When it is desired to use the child seat for a child of small body, the child seat 10 is pulled out from the recessed portion a of the back rest A of the vehicle seat and placed on the seat cushion B of the vehicle seat in a horizontal condition as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 or 6. In this instance, the seat cushion 11 of the child seat 10 is supported from the back rest 12 by means of the support belts 13 and placed in slight contact with the seat cushion B of the vehicle seat without being supported thereon. In the child seat 10, the position of back rest 12 can be adjusted in a fore-and-aft direction in the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat A for use of a litte child of small body or for use of a child of large body.

[0035] Accordingly, in a condition where the seat cushion 11 of the child seat 10 has been drawn out from the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat, the back rest 12 of the child seat is located in the recessed portion a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 for use of a little child of small body. In a condition where the back rest 12 of the child seat has been drawn out forward as shown in FIG. 3, the front surface of back rest 12 is placed to coincide with the front surface of the seat back A of the vehicle seat for use of a child of large body as shown in FIG. 6.

[0036] In use of the child seat for a little child of small body, the child is entered into the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat and seated on the seat cushion 11 of the child seat 10 so that the back portion of the child is supported by the backside upright wall plate 15. Thus, the seat belt 11 can be fastened to securely restrain the child in a stable condition. In use of the child seat for a child of large body, the child is seated on the seat cushion 11 of the child seat 10 and supped by the back rest 12 of the child seat 10 drawn out from the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat and placed to coincide the front surface of the back rest A of the vehicle seat. Thus, the seat belt 11 can be fastened to securely restrain the child in a stable condition.

[0037] In such a manner as described above, the child seat can be used for a little child of small body and for a child of large body to securely support the children of different body size. Particularly in the child seat, the seat cushion 11 drawn out from the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat is supported in a horizontal condition by means of the pair of support belts 13 to avoid an influence caused by the seat cushion B of the vehicle seat.

[0038] As in the child seat, the seat cushion 11 is supported in place without any influence caused by the cushion property of the vehicle seat, a difference in weight of the children does not cause any change in a deformed amount of the seat cushion 11 and in an inclined angle of the seat cushion 11. This is useful to retain a posture of the children seated on the seat cushion 11 of the child seat in a more stable condition. Even in the occurrence of a head-on collision, the seat cushion 11 does not occur any submarine phenomenon of the child's buttocks so that the seat belt 14 acts to securely restrain the waist portion of the child.

[0039] Illustrated in FIG. 8 is a pair of link mechanisms 17 substituted for the support belts 13. The link mechanisms 17 each are composed of first and second linkages 17 a and 17 b connected to each other. The first linkage 17 a is connected to a side portion of the seat cushion 11 at its one end, while the second linkage 17 b is connected to a side portion of the back rest 12 at its one end. The linkages 17 a and 17 b can be folded at their connected portion to be stored in the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat. When the linkages 17 a and 17 b are extended in a straight position, the seat cushion 11 of the child seat is drawn out from the recessed portion a of the vehicle seat.

[0040] Illustrated in FIG. 9 is another support means 18 substituted for the support belts 13. The support means 18 is composed of a pair of support belts 18 a, a pneumatic cylinder having a piston 18 b connected to one ends of the support belts 18 a, a weight sensor 18 c mounted on the seat cushion 11 and a computer 18 d connected to the weight sensor 18 c. The pneumatic cylinder is formed to store plural gunpowder which is exploded when the support belts 18 a are applied with an excessive tension force in the occurrence of a head-on collision. When the gunpowder in the pneumatic cylinder is exploded in the occurrence of the head-on collision, the support belts 18 a are pulled by the piston 18 b in the pneumatic cylinder in a predetermined amount to incline the seat cushion 11 upward.

[0041] In the support means 18, the computer 18 d is programmed to explode an amount of gunpowder in the pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the weight of the seated child detected by the weight sensor 18 c. Thus, when the support belts 18 a are applied with an excessive tension force in the occurrence of a head-on collision, the gunpowder is exploded under control of the computer so that the support belts 18 a are pulled by the piston 18 b in accordance with the weight of the seated child. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle, having a seat cushion pivotally mounted at its rear end on the bottom of a recessed portion in a back rest of a vehicle seat to be stored in an upright condition in the recessed portion during non-use of the child seat and pulled out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition, wherein the child seat is provided with support means for supporting the seat cushion in the horizontal condition when pulled out from the recessed portion of the vehicle seat.
 2. A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle, having a seat cushion pivotally mounted at its rear end on the bottom of a recessed portion in a back rest of a vehicle seat to be stored in an upright condition in the recessed portion during non-use of the child seat and pulled out from the recessed portion for use in a horizontal condition, wherein the child seat is provided with a back rest movable in a fore-and-aft direction in the recessed portion of the vehicle seat to be retained in a retracted position and retained in a forward position where a front surface of the back rest is placed to coincide with a front surface of the back rest of the vehicle seat, and wherein the seat cushion of the child seat is pivotally mounted to a lower end portion of the back rest at its rear end to be rotated in a fore-and-aft direction.
 3. A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the child seat is provided with support means for supporting the seat cushion in a horizontal condition when it has been drawn out from the recessed portion of the vehicle seat.
 4. A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 3, wherein said support means is in the form of a set of flexible belts or a set of foldable lnkages.
 5. A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 3, wherein said support means is composed of a flexible belt and means for extending the flexible belt in accordance with the weight of a person seated on the seat cushion in the occurrence of a collision of the vehicle.
 6. A child seat for use in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the back rest is connected to the backside wall of the recessed portion in the vehicle seat by means of a pair of left and right connecting mechanisms, and wherein the connecting mechanisms each are composed of a first bracket provided on the back rest, a second bracket provided on the backside wall, a linkage pivoted at its opposite ends to the first and second brackets to be rotated with a fulcrum in connection to the second bracket to move the back rest in a fore-and-aft directon through the first bracket, a stopper provided on the first bracket to restrict rotary movement of the linkage by engagement with the linkage when the back rest is placed in a forward position, and a spring engaged at its opposite ends with the linkage and the backside wall of the recessed portion to bias the first bracket upward through the linkage. 